Private Giving

In comparison with other orchestras in Australia, the CSO receives very limited state funding, so our ability to continue delivering exceptional concerts and outreach programs each year is dependent on outside income streams such as donations.

Depending on how you would like to donate, you can contribute towards our general donation fund, support a musician’s chair, or give towards our education programs.

General donations

Support given through general donations is directly responsible for strengthening the orchestra’s artistic achievements. Each time you make a gift through our annual tax or subscription appeal, attend a concert, or encourage a friend to support the CSO, you help to make it a vital, viable and visible presence in our region.

Giving Program membership is acknowledged through a listing in CSO concert programs (unless anonymity is requested) as well as special events and behind the scenes experiences for those who donate above $1000. Membership is valid for 12 months.

Together we create the orchestra our city deserves.

The CSO Kingsland Fellowship Program

Successful orchestral musicians of the future must have the skills and confidence, on and off the stage, to engage with and inspire audiences. Your contribution to this program will help us to prepare the world’s finest young professional musicians for careers that combine musical excellence with community outreach, advocacy, and leadership.

Kingsland Fellows will perform in either full orchestral or ensemble performances and experience one-on-one mentorship with CSO conductors and principals, masterclasses with CSO guest soloists, and opportunities to meet corporate partners and private donors at special functions. As the program develops, the career-making opportunities may extend to experiences internationally.

The Canberra Symphony Orchestra is looking forward to building new partnerships with institutions and individuals enthusiastic about the future of quality music performance in the ACT and region. To this end we would welcome enquiries about how you can support the CSO Kingsland Fellowship Program.

Instrument Fund

Help us to sound our brightest and best by donating to the CSO Instrument Fund. Previous donations have enabled us to purchase three much needed percussion instruments—two brand new tam tams and a symphonic gong. We hope to continue to rejuvenate our percussion section with the purchase of a celeste, at a cost of around $35,000.

Chair Patrons

At the CSO we are proud of all of our musicians, yet we are drawn to some of the orchestra’s instruments more than others. Some of us love the shimmery tones of the flute, while others could listen for hours to the mellow warmth of the cello.

Why not support a player of an instrument you love? Chair patrons have the opportunity to forge a very special association with the musician they support at events throughout the season, and in doing so also support the orchestra to achieve its artistic and community vision.

Legacy Gifts

Great orchestras, like all great cultural institutions throughout history, are gifts to posterity; they are built and bestowed to succeeding generations by visionary philanthropists.

Many of the great composers, whose works the CSO performs each year, were supported by visionary patrons who knew their bequests would continue to give for generations to come. You, too, can ensure that the orchestral ‘giving tree’ continues to bear fruit for years to come by contributing to the CSO’s Legacy Fund.